Best game to capture the wonder of space?

[sonoranreptile]

I remember playing Echelon for the Commodore 64 and having that feeling of wonder while exploring a new planet and trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the people there. It really made you feel you were "out there" and gave you just the slightest hint that maybe you weren't always alone......

[FantasiaWHT]

Freelancer felt very much like Privateer. More recent though, but still a great game.

Damn, I haven't played a great space shooter in way too long. *Goes to load up Rogue Squadron on GC*

[fcw3]

The Halley Project from the mid 80s. You used the stars to steer to the various planets and moons in our solar system. You base was Halley's Comet. I think it was on the Apple II but was also available on other computers of the time.

FRED

[Damaramu]

My top 3 from "back in the day":

TIE Fighter
Wing Commander: Prophecy
Colony Wars

[diskoboy]

Wow... No love for Space Wars??

And for modern games - Project Sylpheed (still whoring that game to death! )

[theshizzle3000]

Kirby's Dreamland even had a good rendition of space and what not...nothing compared to X-Wing and the gang, but it was space nonetheless.

[-^Cro§Bow^-]

Wing Commander
Privateer
X2
Darkstar One (This is much better than I thought it would be. I might like it better than Freelancer)
Freelancer - (So cool to just pick a star you see and start flying towards it. And then come back literally hours later and find out that it was a real star with nothing around it...hehe...)

[Niku-Sama]

i think the name of the game i am thinking of is indipendence war 2 i am not sure though

[Icarus Moonsight]

I recall being so entranced by Homeworld's celestial serenity that I could barely play the game. I was content only moving the camera around and getting lost in checking things out. Soon afterwards my units would be getting swarmed and I'd have to restart.

[boatofcar]

I'd really like to play Elite, but I'm too afraid that without the nostalgia the game won't do anything for me.

EDIT: Great thread topic btw

[idrougge]

I'd really like to play Elite, but I'm too afraid that without the nostalgia the game won't do anything for me.

Go play Elite II then. I don't think that anyone's managed to expand on the notion of space (as a realistic, convincing place inhabited by humans) since then.

[Ed Oscuro]

System Shock 2

Depressurized!

[Barbarianoutkast85]

Toejam and Earl: Panic on Funkatron thats what the outer space and the moon is REALLY like. Not like the HOAX they pulled off in the basement of the White House in 1969...